The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-03-02
Farmers ms Gardene. ..

whatsoever man soweth that shall
he also reap is old, but as true now
as when first uttered. An experience
of thirty years rs gardener enables
me to speak with confidence on the sub
ject of garden seeds. think that
most farmers fail in one or more of
three particulars in supplying them
selves with these:
First, the farmer fails in saving seeds
of his own growth to the extent he
ought, and in the right way. and in
caring for them when they are saved.
| To be sure. it does not cost much to
buy what garden seeds ne uses in a S IL
gle year. but that little might as well
be saved when one is sure that by so do
ing he can have seeds that are fresh
and true from his own garden. would
not recommend the farmer to try to
grow all the seeds he needs, but most
of them he can save of better average
quality than those he will be likely to
buy.
When the farmer does save seed, too
often instead of its being the best, it is
the poorest. After the row of beans,
peas, or corn is culied, he takes what is
left for seed This is Just what he
should not do. He should select a Sec
ton of row in the very best part of it,
put up n stake, and give orders that
nothing is to be gathered for the table
from the part stakod Off a rod or so
of row of bunch beans. or of each va
rety of peas or corn Will be enough.
OF clcumberS, melons, tomatoes, he
should select some of the n.cest speci-
mems, and put down stick with Il red
string tied TO it rs a sign that these are
reserved. Next, after sthe seeds are
saved. he should have place for them,
and take good care of them. | think
that fully one-half the homc-saycd seeds
are eaten up by mice, or lost before
planting time, simply because a special
place was not provided for them. Buy
good. tight box. made of inch pine,
hang a tight-ftting lid to it, divide il
into several compartments of different
sizes, and label them. Then get stock
of good MANILA paper bags, and when
lot of seed is perfectly cured put it in
bag, mark the name plainly and the
year in which il grew, and put 1t in the
seed-box. Remember that with n few
exceptions seeds are good for from three
to ten years. Parsnip, onion, and car
rot do not retain their vitality long.
but the last two will grow the Second
year if kept well.
The second part cuar in which most
farmers fail is in not buying enough
seed. My family physician, with a
family of four, and an eighth-ofan-acre
garden, buys four times as many seed
us the average farmer with family of
eight or ten. Every farmer should
plant peas. beans. and sweet corn by
the quart and yet u majority of them
will buy one or two 5-cent papers OF
each. These staple vegetables at least
should be planted in such abundance
that they can be used every day while
| they last, and successive planting
should bc made TO insure long con
! nuance. From the last of May, when
| the earl est peas are fit for the table,
until the frost is hard enough TO spoil
| the late corn, there should not be p
day when the garden does not contain.
in good condition for the table one OF
more of these stand-bys, peas, beans,
and sweet corn. and the use of differ
ent varieties and liberal successive
planting will easily enable one to have
| them.
The third particular in which man,
farmers fail is in not getting the seed'
they buy in time. There is best tint
in which TO plant all varieties, and t.
! have the best success with them the,
must be planted at that time; and YET
a large per cent of the orders lillcc
by all secdmon reach them after the
seeds should DO in the ground. IL is
lust as easy to look over the stock on
hand. find out what is needed, and
make out an order in February AS in
! April, and il will be much more salts
factory to all concerned.
| find that a majority of farmers do
not make garden" until nearly corn
planting time, and doubt if most of
/ them know what seeds may be planted
early. | have for many years planted
/ the following vegetables just as early
as the ground can be worked, and al
most every year the land freezes hard
after they are up, but they are very
rarely injured: Beets, lettuce, spinach,
peas, radiShes, cabbage and onions.
My land is clayey, and / pillow in the
fall in. beds from twelve to sixteen feet
wide, and open the dead burrows so rs
TO drain of all surface water, and in
this way can usually plant week or
two earlier than il the land is not plow-
ed until spring Two years out of the
last twelve have planted these early
crops the last week in February; but
usually the planting is done from March
90 * Son,o wars my garden has